Field of Invention
This invention relates to the field of cover assemblies for pickup trucks. More particularly, this invention relates to an aerodynamic cover assembly for pickup truck beds that is easily transformable between open and closed configurations. Known prior art relevant to this invention can be found in U.S. Patent Class 296, subclasses 100 and 165.
Description of Related Art
Pickup trucks are popular vehicles in part because of their ability to haul cargo in the open bed located behind the pickup truck's cab. One of the disadvantages of a pickup truck's open bed is that it creates aerodynamic drag which, in turn, decreases the fuel efficiency of the pickup truck. Many pickup truck owners desire to cover the open bed of their pickup truck to protect their cargo from exposure to the elements and theft. For years, a popular method of covering a pickup truck bed has been to install a raised pickup truck bed cover, which is typically rectangular in shape. The rectangular shape of these raised bed covers offer little, if any, reduction in aerodynamic drag and in some cases can increase aerodynamic drag, which can decrease the fuel efficiency of the pickup truck. Currently known rectangular raised bed covers are either rigid shells, or comprised of a flexible outer covering over a rigid frame.
To reduce aerodynamic drag and increase fuel efficiency, some pickup truck owners elect to install an aerodynamic cover over the pickup truck bed. The currently known aerodynamic covers are either made of rigid materials or a flexible material over a frame that does not fold. These aerodynamic covers have a roof which begins at a height in approximation with the roof of the pickup truck cab and then tapers downwards towards the pickup trucks tailgate. These aerodynamic covers also have sides that may taper inwards towards the centerline of the pickup truck. This tapered shape provides less aerodynamic drag than a traditional rectangular pickup truck cover. The greatest benefit of an aerodynamic pickup truck cover is an increase in the fuel efficiency of the pickup truck. However, there are several disadvantages. Because of the tapered shape and the non-foldability of the current known aerodynamic pickup truck covers, there is a loss of interior volume that can only be remedied by fully removing the cover. Additionally, the rigid aerodynamic pickup truck cover is fairly heavy which can reduce the fuel efficiency of the host pickup truck and also makes the cover difficult to install and remove. While the currently know aerodynamic covers made of flexible materials weigh less, they are not foldable and, thus, the cover must be manually and fully disassembled to allow large cargo to be loaded into the pickup truck bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,669A to Geier (1989) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,147,265B1 to Schmeichel (2005) both show foldable pickup truck covers which have a rigid foldable frame with a flexible outer covering. Both of these designs have a traditional rectangular shape, rather than a tapered aerodynamic shape. In most cases, this rectangular shape will not reduce the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle they are mounted on and in some cases they will increase the aerodynamic drag of the host vehicle. These two covers lack the design which would allow an aerodynamic shape to be created and easily folded. Furthermore, these two pickup truck covers lack the linkages to bring the top of crossbar close to the truck cab when the cover is closed. This creates a large gap between the pickup truck cover and pickup truck cab, which further decreases aerodynamic efficiency. Additionally, because these covers lack a split front frame/rear frame design, the outer covering must be detached from the side bed frame before the frame can be folded into an open position.
Several types of rigid aerodynamic pickup truck covers have been proposed—for example U.S. Pat. No. US20100045069A1 to Koba (2008) and U.S. Pat. No. US20090256382A1 to Stum (2008) and U.S. Pat. No. 8,282,020B2 to Herndon (2007) show tapered, aerodynamic pickup truck covers. Since these covers are made out of rigid materials, they are known to suffer from a number of disadvantages:                a) A truck cover fabricated from rigid materials is heavy and difficult to mount and remove from a pickup truck bed.        b) It is generally more expensive to fabricate a truck cover from rigid materials.        c) A truck cover fabricated from rigid materials is heavy and the weight will negatively impact the fuel efficiency of the vehicle it is mounted upon.        d) Since the rigid truck cover cannot be broken down it is expensive to ship.        e) A truck cover fabricated from rigid material limits the height of cargo that can be placed in the pickup truck bed without completely removing the cover from the truck.        
U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,960A to Benignu (1992) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,184A to Byrd (1983) both show tapered truck covers consisting of a rigid frame with a flexible outer covering. Neither of these two covers are able to quickly and easily fold into an open position, which limits access to the pickup truck bed. If large cargo needs to be loaded into the bed of the pickup truck, these covers need to be disassembled.